Posts tagged: research impact

The University of Salford, alongside partner institutions Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, are running over 30 events across Manchester and Salford as part of this year’s ESRC Festival of Social Science, 3-10 November 2018.

The Festival showcases Manchester social science research to a broad non-academic audience. This brings together an eclectic blend of activities designed to celebrate the social sciences, including discussions and debates, exhibitions, film screenings, walkabouts, family fun days, schools visits, workshops, and lots more.

Aims of the Festival

Through its Festival of Social Science, the ESRC aims to:

• Encourage, support and create the opportunity for social science researchers to engage with non-academic audiences
• Promote and increase awareness of the social sciences and ESRC’s research
• Promote and increase awareness of the contributions the social sciences make to the wellbeing and the economy of the UK society
• Enable the public to engage with social science research
• Engage with teachers and young people and to raise their awareness of the social sciences.

Contributions from our researchers in the School of Health & Society:

/ Catherine Thompson & Bruno Fazenda

Using VR nature environments to improve performance and wellbeing

Saturday 3rd November 10am – 5pm / Manchester Museum

/ Philip Brown, Lisa Scullion & Tim Isherwood

The power of design: exploring the role of creative research dissemination

Monday 5th November 5pm – 8pm / New Adelphi Building, University of Salford campus

/ Jack Wilson, Anthea Innes, Andrew Clark & Anya Ahmed

University of Salford dementia and ageing hub showcase

Tuesday 6th November 2.30pm – 4.30pm / G05 The Old Fire Station, University of Salford campus

/ Cathy Ure, Penny Cook, Liz Burns, Margaret Coffey & Suzy Hargreaves

Putting communities in charge of alcohol: a health champion model

Tuesday 6th November Time 5.30pm – 7.00pm / The Friends Meeting House, Manchester

/ Donna Peach, Gabi Hesk, Deanna Edwards & Andrea Pepe

Developing community engagement with the social sciences

Wednesday 7th November 12pm-8pm / Atrium, Adelphi Building, University of Salford campus

/ Tina Patel & Laura Connelly

Divided communities? What the Brexit future means for people in Salford

Thursday 8th November 1pm – 3pm / G05, The Old Fire Station, University of Salford campus

/ Michaela Rogers

Ageing with healthy relationships: overcoming barriers to help-seeking when experiencing domestic abuse

Friday 9th November 2018 – INVITE ONLY / The Pankhurst Centre, Manchester

/ Ian Cummins & Toni Wood

True crime and punishment: exploring the influence of cultural representations of crime

Saturday 10th November 10am – 3.30pm / MediaCity UK

/ Dilla Davis & Annie Nichols with Manchester Malayalee Cultural Association (MMCA)

After a heart attack – role of cardiac rehabilitation

Saturday 10th November, 2pm – 4pm / Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Center

Why not come along and join in the activities?

Full details of all events across the week are available at:  www.esrcmanchesterfest.ac.uk.

Tweet your comments using the hashtags #esrcfestival and #McrESRCfest

REF

Original post 

University of Salford’s Impact Coordinator – Chris Hewson discusses why we need to talk about research impact:

Over the last eighteen months, much has been written and said about impact, and how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can effectively, and efficiently, place themselves on a secure footing in preparation for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF). Nonetheless, it could be argued that the fevered animation generated by REF2014 has led to a prolonged and ongoing hangover. For most academics and administrators the experience of co-producing impact case studies was a forensic and thought-provoking, albeit ‘seat of the pants’ and largely extemporised experience. The refrain consistently repeated in strategy offices across the land goes something like this: ‘…there is absolutely no chance we’re going to execute our REF impact strategy in such an unsystematic and post-hoc fashion come 2020.’

But we are, aren’t we? As Julie Bayley and Casper Hitchens note, “the burden of effort and pressure to ‘find impact’ led to impact fatigue and a tarnished view of the concept” [i]. Their remedies are sound, and were arrived at independently by a number HEIs of in the aftermath of 18th December 2014; the need for greater planning and (ongoing) data collection, the institutional normalisation of impact, the co-ordination of both internal and external engagement processes, and so forth. The authors playfully mimic the language of HEFCE, noting the dawning of “an opportunity to significantly and demonstrably… change how we achieve impact.”

Read more…..